Editor,

The highest slum in Britain is probably the summit of Yr Wyddfa/Snowdon. On a recent Friday, I accompanied a friend for his first ascent of that mountain; it was a sparkling spring morning and an ideal day to climb the highest mountain in Wales and England. However, on reaching the summit, we were dismayed and angered at what we found; there was litter and trash everywhere, beer cans and bottles, plastic drinks containers, food wrappers and even the remains of an overnight camp strewn over the ground.

It was an absolute disgrace, sordid and grubby, trash everywhere on the summit of a national and international iconic mountain.

I first climbed Yr Wyddfa in the early Seventies — there was no litter then.

Over the intervening years I have noted the increase in litter and over lockdown it reached appalling levels.T

here are now more people visiting the summit of Snowdon and clearly more people acting irresponsibly by discarding their litter rather than taking it home. Is this behaviour a result of ignorance, lack of empathy or just slobbishness? Having spent most of my working life in and about the mountains of Snowdonia, I am saddened by the apparent disregard for our wild places by an increasing number of people.

I would like to make a plea for notices at the summit and on the paths of Snowdon imploring visitors to take their litter home.

Philip Van-Gucci, Llanfrothen